Mauricio Pochettino says ‘decisive player’ Cole Palmer has helped Chelsea build momentum for 2024.
The Blues won 3-2 away at Luton Town in their final match of 2023, but two late goals from the hosts almost threatened to ruin a positive 70 minutes.
Palmer scored two glorious goals and was dealt with for Noni Madueke’s goal in the first half, with Ross Barkley and Elijah Adebayo providing an expected scare in a nervous 20 minutes.
Pochettino praised Palmer’s impact after earning back-to-back league wins for the first time since October.
“What can I say? You can see that he is a vital player for us, a decisive player,” he told reporters after the game. “Scoring goals like that makes me feel very satisfied with him and the team. “
Chelsea have suffered injuries in 2023, recording 19 league defeats in the calendar year, worse than any Premier League team.
However, three welcome things along the way give Pochettino
“It’s vital to finish 2023 well and look ahead to the start of 2024 as well,” he added. “It’s smart to end with smart emotions and move into the new year with momentum. “
“Overall, we were the better team and we completely deserved the result. There are too many positive performances. When you lose, you give more confidence to the opponent.
“The Premier League is like that; if you watch games like Arsenal, Liverpool, City, Newcastle, you realise how difficult it is to play here in this atmosphere. They have very intelligent players, a very intelligent coach and the way they play. It’s difficult to play here.
“We needed all 3 numbers and they gave us what we wanted. “
The blank midweek will give Pochettino time to plan for the upcoming January transfer window.
But the coach was keen to stress that he trusts his current players, adding: “Of course, I’m actually in my players; These are the only cases where we want injured players back.
“In my opinion, the most important thing is to work with the team; Now it’s about pressuring them to step up their efforts and get the players back; That’s my goal, to look 100 percent at our team and our players. “
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